Emery's Search for Right-Back Steel: Wan-Bissaka on Aston Villa's Radar
Unai Emery has made his mind up. If Aston Villa are going to live with the demands of Champions League football and another domestic push, the right flank has to be upgraded – or at the very least, hardened.
Emery’s search for steel at right-back
The Villa manager views right-back as a priority position this summer, a slot where he wants genuine, top-level competition for current starter Matty Cash. Not just cover. Pressure.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has moved to the top of that list. According to The Athletic, the 28-year-old West Ham United defender has emerged as a leading candidate, his reputation as an elite one-on-one defender aligning neatly with the tactical variety Emery demands from his back line.
Villa’s interest has sharpened after other moves stalled early in the window. A proposed deal for Flamengo’s Emerson Royal, formerly of Tottenham, never got off the ground, forcing Villa’s recruitment team to pivot and keep hunting for the right profile. The need has only grown louder with Champions League nights on the horizon after last season’s Europa League triumph and a fourth-place Premier League finish.
Emery wants a squad that can rotate without dropping standards. Wan-Bissaka fits that brief.
West Ham’s relegation opens the door
On the other side of the equation sits a club dealing with the shock of relegation. West Ham’s drop into the Championship – their first season in the second tier since 2011-12 – has changed the dynamics around several senior players. Wan-Bissaka is one of them.
The Hammers are understood to be open to a sale. The defender made 27 appearances in all competitions last season and chipped in with three assists, but his influence faded when it mattered most. He started only two of West Ham’s final seven matches, often losing his place to Kyle Walker-Peters as the campaign unravelled.
For Wan-Bissaka, a move to Villa Park would represent a sharp turn in fortunes: from fighting in the Championship to competing in the Champions League. His situation is complicated by the length of his deal. He is under contract at the London Stadium until 2031 after signing a seven-year agreement when he joined from Manchester United in a £15 million transfer. That commitment underpins a high valuation and means any agreement will not come cheap.
International form and Old Trafford pedigree
While West Ham slid, Wan-Bissaka’s stock did not suffer on the international stage. For DR Congo, he remained a cornerstone, starting all four of their matches at this summer’s World Cup and delivering a series of performances that drew the attention of scouts across Europe.
Those displays echoed the defender he had already proven himself to be at Old Trafford. Across five seasons with Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka built a reputation as one of Europe’s most reliable one-on-one defenders. He amassed 190 appearances, played a central role in trophy-winning squads, and lifted the EFL Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup in 2023-24.
That pedigree is exactly what appeals to Emery: a defender tested in high-pressure environments, comfortable under the spotlight, and still with something to prove.
Villa now face the familiar challenge of turning admiration into agreement. If they can prise Wan-Bissaka from a relegated West Ham, they will not just be adding depth. They will be sending a clear message about what kind of Champions League club they intend to be.
